CHAPTER VI--TROUBLE
It was the girls' intention at first to leave the hamper of good thingsbefore the Haddons' door so that Mrs. Haddon would have no chance ofrefusing the gift through pride.
But when they came to the little cottage after half an hour of steadywalking, they found to their dismay that Fate had taken a hand andspoiled all their plans.
For Mrs. Haddon herself, a shawl over her head and looking even moreworried and anxious than she had when they had seen her before, roundedthe corner of the house and met them just as they reached the door.
For a moment the girls had a panicky impulse to drop the basket and run,but on second thought they decided that that would be just about theworst thing they could possibly do. And while they were trying to thinkup something to say, Mrs. Haddon took the whole situation entirely outof their hands.
At first she did not seem to recognize them, but the next instant herface lighted up with relief and she opened the door of the cottage,beckoning them to enter.
"Just stay here in the kitchen a minute where it's warm," she directedthem in a strained tone, and before the girls had time to draw theirbreath she had disappeared from the room, leaving the classmates alone.
"Now we've gone and spilled the beans," whispered slangy Laura, eyeingthe blameless hamper disapprovingly as she warmed her chilled handsbefore the stove. "I don't suppose she will touch a thing now, and afterwe went and walked all this way, and everything, too----"
"Sh-h," cautioned Billie, a hand to her lips. "She's coming back."
At that moment Mrs. Haddon did indeed come back into the kitchen. Sheclosed the door very gently behind her and then came quickly toward thegirls.
"Listen," she said breathlessly. "I don't know who sent you, just now.Maybe it was God." She caught her breath on the words and the girlsregarded her wonderingly and a little fearfully. For goodness' sake!_what_ was she talking about?
"Anyway, you've come," went on the woman, swiftly. "And if you want to,you can do me a great favor."
"What is it?" they asked together.
"Run for the nearest doctor, one of you--or all of you," said the woman,her words stumbling over one another in her agitation. "Peter, my littleboy, is sick. If I don't have a doctor very soon, he may die."
"Oh, where is the nearest doctor?" asked Billie, breathlessly, her eyesbig with sympathy. "Tell me and I'll go."
"Half a mile down the road!" said the woman. "Dr. Ramsey! In the bigwhite house! These are his office hours. He should be at home. I justwent to a neighbor's, but she was not at home and I could not go myself.Peter would have been alone----"
"I'll go, and I'll have him back here in half an hour," promised Billie,running to the door as she spoke. But Laura grabbed her skirt and heldon to it.
"No, you stay here. I'll go," she said, thinking desperately of the foodhamper and fearing that if Billie went for the doctor she would probablyhave to explain their mission.
"I'll go with you," volunteered Vi, with the same thought in mind, andbefore Billie could do more than blink, her two chums had flashedthrough the door, closing it with a sharp little click behind them. Thenit opened again for an instant and Laura put her pretty head inside.
"You always could explain things so much better than the rest of us,Billie," she said, by way of excuse, it is to be supposed--and then thedoor closed again.
It was good for Billie at that moment that she had been blessed with asense of humor. Otherwise, she might have been a little put out.
As it was, she took it as a joke on her and turned back resignedly toher task of telling why they had come to proud Polly Haddon.
The latter was pacing the floor anxiously. Then, as a little moan camefrom the next room, she flew to the patient, leaving Billie entirelyalone.
The latter regarded the hamper uncertainly for a moment, then, with asigh, she lifted it from the floor to the rickety kitchen table.
"I'll let her see all the good things first," she decided wisely, as sheremoved the cover from the basket, exposing to view its invitingcontents. "Then maybe she'll be too busy looking at them to be angry."
So busy was she that she did not hear Mrs. Haddon reenter the room.Neither did she know that the latter was staring unbelievingly over hershoulder till a slight exclamation of wonder made her start and whirlround suddenly.
"Where did you get all that?" asked the woman, her eyes still fixed onthe contents of the basket. "And what is it for?"
"It's--it's for you--if you will take it, please," stammered Billie, inher surprise and confusion saying what came first to her mind. "We--wethought maybe--maybe the kiddies would like the beef tea and milkand--and--things----" she finished weakly, thinking resentfully that thegirls, or one of them anyway, might have stayed and helped her out.
But after all, she need not have worried. For an instant the look thatBillie had expected and dreaded flared into Polly Haddon's eyes--a lookof outraged pride. But then the woman thought of the children--and shehad no pride.
"You said you brought some beef tea?" she repeated, bending eagerly overthe basket. "And milk?"
"Two quarts of milk," cried Billie, joyfully, the relief she feltsinging in her voice. "And we made the beef tea fresh this morning.Why--why--what's the matter?"
For Polly Haddon's black eyes had filled with tears and she had turnedaway impatiently to hide them. Beneath the worn old shawl, her thinshoulders shook in an effort to suppress her hysterical sobs.
Then Billie ran to her and put her young arms around her and PollyHaddon, who had struggled so long and so bravely alone, clung to thegirl hungrily while she fought for self-control.
"It's so long!" she said huskily, "so long since any one did anythingfor us--for my babies----" Her voice broke, and for a minute she justclung to Billie and let tears wash some of the bitterness from herheart. Then she straightened up suddenly, wiped the tears from her eyeswith a handkerchief that Billie had slipped into her hand, and holdingthe girl off at arm's length regarded her intently.
"It seems," said the woman softly, while Billie looked up at her out ofclear, grave eyes, "that when things get as bad as they can be the Lordsends somebody to help. This time he sent you. Hark! What's that?"
It was only the restless turning of a feverish little body in bed, butthe mother was instantly alert.
"The beef tea!" she directed, and Billie quickly handed her one of thebottles. "He has had hardly any real nourishment since day beforeyesterday," Polly Haddon went on as she poured the liquid into one ofthe pans on the stove and sniffed of it hungrily. "Strong beef tea isjust what the little fellow needs."
Billie wondered while she watched Mrs. Haddon with pitying eyes. Nonourishment for almost two days! Why, if they had not come the childrenmight have starved to death!
"Where are the two little girls?" she asked, remembering suddenly thatshe had seen no sign of them.
Mrs. Haddon said nothing for so long that Billie began to think she hadnot heard her question. Then the woman turned and faced the girl,holding a steaming cup of beef broth in her hand.
"I've kept them in bed, too," she said. "I was afraid they had caughtcold, and then, too--one feels less hungry if one doesn't move about."
Then abruptly she turned and once more left the room. Billie would havefollowed, but the thought that perhaps Polly Haddon would not wish herto held her back. The woman had accepted the food for her children'ssake, because they were practically starving. But in spite of that shewas very proud. Perhaps she would not wish to have Billie see thepoverty-stricken bareness of the rooms beyond. So Billie stayed in thekitchen and waited.
Her eyes strayed nervously to an alarm clock that ticked away on a shelfover the sink. She wished the girls would come with the doctor. Iflittle Peter was as sick as his mother thought he was, every minutemight be precious. And besides that, they must get back to school.
Then she heard the girls' voices mingled with the gruff tones of aman--the doctor, of course--and her heart jumped with relief. The nextmome
nt the door was flung open and Laura and Vi came in, followed by animmense man who seemed to completely fill the narrow doorway. Then PollyHaddon appeared in the doorway between the two rooms, an empty cup inher hand. At sight of the doctor she set down the cup and motioned himeagerly into the other room.
The latter glanced curiously at Billie, flung his hat on the kitchentable in passing, and disappeared with Mrs. Haddon into the sick room.
"Just luck that we happened to catch the doctor on his way out," pantedLaura, for the big man had hustled the girls back to the cottage on arun. "Say, Billie," she added, her eyes lighting on the opened hamper,"I see you did the trick. Any bones broken?"
"Tell us about it," begged Vi.
"I'll tell you on the way home," said Billie, her eye once more on theclock. "Miss Walters told us not to stay long, you know. We were to comeright back."
"Gracious, look at the time!" cried Laura, in consternation, followingBillie's eyes to the clock. "Miss Walters will think we have eloped."
"I wish we could wait and see what the doctor says," protested Vi,hanging back, and just then Billie raised a warning finger.
"Listen," she said.
The doctor had raised his voice for a moment and his words came clearlyto the girls where they stood near the door.
"The boy is very sick, Mrs. Haddon," he said. "It will take good nursingto pull him through and plenty of nourishing food." He lowered his voiceagain and the rest of what he said was lost in a meaningless murmur.
In the kitchen the girls stared at each other.
"Plenty of nourishing food," whispered Billie. "Where is he going to getit?"
"I guess," said Laura, as she opened the door, "it is up to us!"